Trump says feds won't fund California high-speed rail

President Donald Trump yesterday said the federal government will not provide funding to California's high-speed rail project.

Trump made his remarks to reporters gathered in the Oval Office for the president's meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Although his comments did not come as a surprise — Trump has been critical of the project's delays and costs in the past and stripped it of $1 billion in federal funding during his first term as president — the news fueled concerns in California that the project will not have stable federal assistance for some time, The Fresno Bee newspaper reported. 

During his term, President Joe Biden's administration restored the federal money that Trump rescinded. But in February, Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to audit the project to determine if he again should rescind its federal funding. The audit is not yet completed, the newspaper reported.

Although state funding has covered most of the high-speed rail project so far, California officials have said the federal money is needed to keep the project on track.